Jul 8, 2012

Manners, Redux

Rerunning "The Best of..." because it bears repeating. Yes, it does. You know it.

Jul 9, 2010

Manners

"Manners are a sensitive awareness of the feelings of others. If you
have that awareness, you have good manners, no matter what fork you
use." - Emily Post

There are children who somehow grow up, never
having learned that they are not the center of the universe. This always
astounds me, as I can't see any parent deliberately crippling their
child's social growth. When parents cater to Beauregard's every whim,
without teaching the niceties of "please" and "thank you," they are
raising, perhaps without realizing it, a little tyrant.

What
child wants to play with a kid who always has to be first, have his way,
get what he wants, when he wants? What child wants a playmate who never
takes turns, shares what he has, or seems to appreciate anything given
him?

I blame the parents. Where does a child learn manners? At
home, mostly. What about the other influences, like tv? When my older
boys were growing up in the 90s, The Simpsons was a popular tv show. We
didn't watch it, because the tv children were rude. What ever you grow
up with, you think is normal. I didn't want my kids thinking Bart's
behavior is normal or ok. If Bart Simpson were a guest in my home, I'd
show him the door and tell him don't come back. Why on earth would I
allow him "in" my home via airwaves? I don't want that example set for
my children. That's my right and responsibility as a parent.

If
you are not modeling the behavior you wish to teach, you are teaching
something else. I ask my son to vacuum the living room. I say please and
thank you. Yes, I could as easily bark an order for him to do it. But
if doing it the "nice" way works, why be angry? Will he respect me more
if I'm angry all the time? He might act like it, but deep down, I don't
think so.

Ten or twenty years from now, he'll thank me for teaching him manners. And he'll chew and swallow before he does so.

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Successful Families

The goal of any business is success. If your Catholic family were a business, how would you define and measure success? Adherence to the Magisterium of the Church? Money management? Positive relationships? Positive impact on the world around you? How about all of the above?

Important disclaimer: Connie is not a professional attorney, tax adviser, financial adviser, psychologist, psychic, nor any occupation which requires licensure. All advice is freely given, for entertainment and/or edification only, for you to accept or ignore at your discernment.